Knitting machine



Nov, 4, i939. H. G. LEYTON ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5?;930 3 SheQtS-Sheet l Nov. 4, 193@o H. G. LEYTON ET' A1.

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet if Filed Jan. 4Z

Patented Nov. 4, 1930' UNITED STATES Par Price HELEN GERTRUDE LEYTON AND GEOFFREY BERTRAND LEYTON, 0F OXFORD, ENGLAND KNITTING MACHINE Application led January 3, 1930, Serial No. 418,285, and. iii Great Britain December 31, 1928.

This invention refers tov improvements in e A knitting machine has been previouslyl I proposed in which, for the production of pat-.-

terned fabric, colored threads are incorpo/f rated with the web at intervals around the needle cylinder by means of stationary thread guides, the cylinder being rotated for the production of spiral formation. Y

The invention is applicable to both hand and power driven machines for domestic or factory use, of bothh. the circular or iat or straight type. In a knitting machine according to the invention, there is provided for the purpose of producing non-laddering fabric, a series j of thread guides carried upon a dial or plate and disposed adjacent to the usual knitting needles, said thread guides being operated i to wrap a separate auxiliary locking thread around each knitting needle, said plate being shoglged once for each course of stitches so that t e auxiliary locking thread from each -needle passes to the next adjacent needle,

said auxiliary locking thread, after locking a stitch, forming a loop which is knitted of in the next course of material.

The machine may be of the usual stationary cylinder type, a slotted dial plate being provided adjacent to the hooks ofthe cylinder needles and carrying radial thread guides which are operated by a cam rotatingwith the needle cam, said slotted dial being disposed eccentrically of the needle cylinder and movin in a circular path around the axis of sai needle cylinder.

The invention is also applicable to a machine of the flat or straight type, there being provided adjacent to the eyes of the knittingI needles a series of thread guides carried upon a plate; which after every course of stitches has been knitted, is moved bodily in a circular path so that threads carried by the thread guides are wrapped 'around the knitting needles for producing a locking stitch when the next row of stitches is produced.

lf desired, the shogging means may comp rise a one-tooth pinion engaging a toothed ring carried upon bearer rollers, and an upwardly extending arm adapted to 'engage av member for communicating the motion of said ring to the slotted dial plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a non-laddering fabric comprising a groundwork of ordinary knitted web with diagonally or helically arranged auxiliary lockmg threads interlocked, as hereinafter described and illustrated.

In order that the vinvention may be clearly understood, yitis hereinafter described with relferlence to the accompanying drawings, in w 1c Figure 1 is a diagrammatic'plan view of a circular knitting machine adapted to produce non-laddering fabric;A e

Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the device used for incorporating the auxiliary locking threads, the dial being shown in inlined relation to the upper plane of the cyliner; s

Figure 4 is a plan view of the slotted dial showing several thread guides in position;

F igure 5 is a sectional elevation of Figure.

thatthe needle cylinder l() carrying the knitv ting needles is of the usual type for knitting plain fabric of tubular formation. The ma-- l chine shown comprises a stationary needle cylinder-10 andarevolving needlecam 22 carrying the usual yarnl guide 36 for feeding the yarn to the cylinder needles 1l.

A mechanism according to the invention, suitable for this type of machine, comprises a circular dial12 provided centrally with a sleeve 16 which is mounted rotatably within the end ofV an arm 14 attached tothe revolving needle'cam 22 by means of av bracket 13, and arranged with lockin means 37 and 38 in order that the center of t e circular dial 12 maybe adjusted with respect to the needle cylinder. so that the circular dial 12 may be eccentric thereto or inclined to the p'lane of the upper face of said cylinder 10, this being accomplished by rotating the arm 14 within the bracket 13, the lower end of which is slotted for vertical adjustment and may be spaced from the needle cam 22, if desired, by packing pieces (not shown).

he upper surface of the circular dial 12 is formed with radial slots 39, equal in number to thecylinder needles 11, inl each of said slots 39 being mounted a thread guide 15 formedat its outer' end'with 'an eye 40 .for carrying one or more auxiliary locking threads 19, and provided adjacent to its other end with a butt' 21 which 'engages with a cam groove in a dial cam 2O mounted'upon the sleeve 16 butcaused to rotate with the arm 14 bythe engagement therewith of a pin 33. The upperend of the sleeve 16 is formed with a circular plate 17 carrying a number of pins 18 for the accommodation ofv spools (not shown) carrying the thread supplies for the auxiliary locking threads 19, each of which passes toward the center of said circular plate 17, downwardly Within the sleeve 16, and thence outwardly, past the undersurface of the circular dial 12 to the eye 40 of its corresponding thread guide 15, j

The circular plate 17 andthe circular dial plate 12 are shogged once for each course of stitches, through an angle equal Ato that between two adjacent cylinder needles 11 by means of an adjustable support or upstanding finger 23 which is attached at 24 to a vcircular rack 25 which is internally toothed,

as shown at 26, and which is held in position byjmeans of a plurality of V-groovedrollers 27 engaging its bevelled periphery 28. The teeth 26 are engaged by a cog or spur wheel 29 which is rotated from any convenient part of the driving mechanism of the machine, as will be-readily understood. Thus the turning movement of the rack'25 will be transmittedto the parts 17 and 12 through the medium of the finger 23 and the horizontal arm 30 the outer end of which passes freely through an eye 31 in the upper end of the finger 23, whilst the inner end of same is connected to the plate 17 by means of a horizon# y tal pivot pin 32, which arrangement allows for the eccentricity or tilting of the parts.

In operation, the needle cam 22 rotates about the'needle cylinder l0, thus operating the cylinder needles 11 in the usual manner. This movement alsocauses the axis of the circular dial 12 to move ina circular path, i. e., to trace out the surface of a cylinder or `cone, according to whether the axis of the circular dial 12 is parallel with, or inclined to, the axis of the needle cylinder 10, respective' ly. This motion, which is timed correctly with respect to the' operation of the cylinder cam 22 land 'the dial cam 20, causes the auxiliary locking threads 19 each to be wrapped around one of the cylinder needles 11 at-an inoperative portion of the knitting cycle of said cylinder needles 11, once at each revolution of the cams 20 and 22.' In this way the auxiliary locking threads become incorporated with the fabric when the existing loops are passed ofi' of the cylinder needles 11, and the continuation of each auxiliary locking thread 19 is, at the next revolution of the cams 20 and 22, wrapped around the next adjacent needle, due to the shogging of the circular dial-plate l2 by the circular rack 25..

The resulting fabricl thus comprises a groundwork of ordinary knitted web 41 with diagonally or helically arranged auxiliaryA to a flat or straight type Vof knitting machine.

Thus, in the case of a machine having fixed needles, the auxiliary locking thread Aguides are carried rmly upon a longitudinal bar 34 which is adapted to be moved in connection with the existing knitting needles so as to lay auxiliary threads about the needles at the completion of each row of stitches. To this 'en-d auxiliary locking thread guides 42 may be attached to a horizontal bar 34 which is caused to move in a circular path so that the thread guides 42 as they are simultaneously projected pass the auxiliary locking threads around the heads of the knitting needles.

Thus the bar carrying the additional needles maybe mounted at or near its ends on a pair -of cams or eccentrics 35, so that it. will be given' the required motion, the cams or ecs centrics receiving their movement from the mechanism 'of the machine through the medium of suitable gearing (not shown).

The auxiliary locking threads vmay be caused to pass through the knitted web in a diagonal or oblique direction by shogging the plate 34, together with the operating eccentrics 35through a distance equal to that between two adjacent needlesof the machine, Y

the number of thread guides being in excess of the number of knitting needles, so that after the plate 34 has been shogged a prede? termined number of times` toward one end of the machine, the shogging. means may be 'ried out on any type of machine, .including machines with bearded needles, the process of knitting in the locking thread being the same in any machine.

What we claim is'z- 1. A knitting machine including a needle cylinder, a slotted dial mounted for vertical, eccentric and inclined adjustment with respect to the cylinder, thread guides movable radially in the dial, a cam-for operating the thread guides, and means connected with the dial for supporting a plurality of' spools carrying threads to be passed through the thread guides.

2. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a radially slotted dial, means for adjustably supporting the dial with respect to the needle cylinder, said means providing vertical, lateral and inclined adjustment of the radially in the dial, a 'cam for operating the threadguides, means connected with the dial for supporting a plurality of spools carrying threads to be passed through the thread guides, means for shogging the dial comprising a one-tooth pinion, a toothed ring carried in bearing rollers, an upwardly extending arm carried by the ring, and a member carried by the arm and extending to and serving to operate the dial.

In testimony whereor` we have hereunto signed our names.

HELEN GERTRUDE LEYTON.

GEOFFREY BERTRAND LEYTON.

dial with respect to the needle cylinder, a

spool carrying support movable with the dial, a series of thread guides movable in the slots in the dial and terminally formed to permit the passage of the thread from spools on said spool carrying support, and a cam movable relative to the dial for successively operating the thread guides.

3. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a radially slotted dial, thread guides movable in the slots in the dial and formed with terminal eyes, a hollow post rising from the dial, a thread carrying support at the upper end of the post, a cam mounted on the post and movable relative to the dial for operating the thread guides, and means cooperating with the post for supporting the dial for adjustment vertically, radially and for inclination with respect to the needle cylinder.

4:. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a radially slotted dial, thread ides movable in the slots in the dial and ormed with terminal eyes, a hollow post rising from the dial, a thread carrying support at the upper end of the post, a cam mounted on the post and movable relative to the dial for operating j the thread guides, and means cooperating with the post for supporting the dial for adjustment vertically, radially and for inclination with respect to the needle cylinder, said supporting means serving to compel relative movement of the cam with respect to the dial.

5. A knitting'machine including a needle cylinder, a slotted dial mounted for vertical,

eccentric and inclined adjustment with respect to the cylinder, thread guides movable 

